Communication Schemata Within the Family

Analyses from a random sample of 169 families established a dear relationship between schemata for marital and parent-child communication. Hypotheses were derived by theoretically relating the Relational Dimensions Inventory and the Revised Family Communication Patterns instrument. In families headed by Traditional, Separate, and Separate/Traditional couples, all three family members saw the family interaction as high on conformity orientation. In families headed by Independent and Traditional couples, all three family members saw the family interaction as high on conversational orientation. In general, couple types dovetail with the various family types. For example, Traditional couples have Consensual family interaction patterns in that they value conformity and conversation. Families who share the same family communication schemata appear to agree on a number of other dimensions of family life. A new scale, Family Communication Environment, which may be used to tap into family communication schemata, is presented.     

Schadenfreude as a mate‐value‐tracking mechanism

This study proposed a new theoretical formulation of schadenfreude as a psychological mechanism that responds to misfortunes that lower competitors' mate value. In Study 1, participants reported schadenfreude in response to their friends' naturally occurring and hypothetical misfortunes. In Study 2, participants reported schadenfreude in response to an envied friend experiencing a hypothetical misfortune linked with female or male mate value. As predicted, females in both studies reported more schadenfreude when a same‐gender friend experienced a misfortune that lowered her physical attractiveness versus social status. Less consistent support was found for the prediction that males would report more schadenfreude when a same‐gender friend experienced a misfortune that lowered his social status versus physical attractiveness. This study suggests several directions for future research.     

Greenham: a concrete reality

ABSTRACT A number of contributors to the Journal of Applied Philosophy have confronted the issues of nuclear war and nuclear weapons. It is the view of some of our readers, however, that there is a distinctive women's voice on this issue. It is for this reason and also in the light of the reported decision of the major news-media in Britain not to publish any further information about the continuing Greenham protest that this discussion article is included here.     

Sacrilege: A Study of Sacred Loss and Desecration and Their Implications for Health and Well-Being in a Community Sample

In this study, we proposed that people understand major life events in terms of spiritual as well as psychological, social, and physical dimensions. Specifically, we examined the possibility that life events that are perceived to be sacred losses or violations of the sacred (i.e., desecrations) have significant implications for the health and well-being of the individual. A total of 117 adults, randomly selected from a community, identified the most negative life event they had experienced in the past two years. They then completed measures of the degree to which they appraised this event as a sacred loss and as a desecration, as well as measures of religious coping, the impact of the event, and four sets of criteria: traumatic impact, physical health, emotional distress, and growth. These hypotheses were largely supported. Sacred loss and desecration were unrelated to physical health. However, they were tied to higher levels, though somewhat differential patterns, of emotional distress. While sacred loss was predictive of intrusive thoughts and depression, desecration was tied to more intrusive thoughts and greater anger. Furthermore, sacred loss was linked to greater posttraumatic growth and positive spiritual change; in contrast, desecration was associated with less posttraumatic growth. The links between the spiritual appraisals and outcomes were partially mediated by positive and negative methods of religious coping. These findings underscore the importance and multidimensionality of the spiritual meanings people attribute to major life stressors.     

Social Exchange at Work and Emotional Exhaustion: The Role of Personality1

Unbalanced social‐exchange processes at work have been linked to emotional exhaustion. In addition to organizational factors, individual differences are important determinants of reciprocity perceptions. This study explored whether broad and narrow personality traits were associated with perceived lack of reciprocity (organizational and interpersonal levels), and whether personality moderated the relationship between reciprocity and emotional exhaustion, in a sample of 322 civil servants. Extraversion, agreeableness, emotional stability, internal locus of control, and Type A behavior predicted reciprocity. The relationship between perceived lack of reciprocity with the organization and emotional exhaustion was stronger for individuals reporting lower negative affect or higher extraversion. These findings highlight the importance of personality for understanding perceived reciprocity at work and its impact on emotional exhaustion.     

Judging a Book by Its Cover: The Differential Impact of Attractiveness on Predicting One's Acceptance to High‐ or Low‐Status Social Groups

Emerging research suggests that the cues we glean from first impressions depend on our goals. This research uses sorority recruitment to examine whether groups that vary in social status rely on disparate cues to form first impressions of potential new group members. Current sorority members were given 500 ms to view pictures of women who wanted to join their sororities, and were then asked how likely it was that each prospective member would receive a bid from their sorority (bid expectancy). Prospective members were also rated on their attractiveness. Data were analyzed separately for high‐ vs. low‐status houses. Results revealed that attractiveness was more predictive of liking and bid expectancy for the high‐status houses, as compared to the low‐status houses.     

The theory of resilience and relational load

Resilience is one of the most profound constructs across disciplines. Yet, the largely atheoretical nature of the research on resilience continues to make it elusive. A new theory of stress and resilience in close relationships—the theory of resilience and relational load (TRRL)—is advanced to fill this void in the literature. The theory bridges communicative, perceptual, and physiological aspects of stress within the context of social relationships to explain personal/relational risk, resilience, and thriving. The TRRL examines how relational partners' and family members' communal orientation and maintenance of their relationships on a daily basis influence their communication during stressful moments, as well as their appraisals of the stress. The theory also details how these communication patterns and appraisals influence personal and relational health and adaptation. Finally, the concept of relational load is set forth, which is the wear and tear that chronic stress and depletion of one's emotional, psychological, and relational resources through repeated, stress‐related conversations can have on relationships. Ultimately, people need to continually invest in their relationships to prevent relational load and foster resilience and possible thriving.